Great Blogging in the Classroom Activity

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This is a great practice round for blogging, called “Paper Blogging.” I found it on the Progressive Educator network. This is how lesson plans should be shared. It is evident and students are 1. active 2. engaged 3. learning skills applicable to technology literacy …..all without a computer at hand. Lovely.

Thoughts?

The Perfect Novel

This question in posed in MANY ways and I am a sucker for it each time. I struggle to define what the perfect novel is.

We all read for different reasons.

To gain information, to laugh, to ignore, to pass the time, to get obtain an opinion, to become more informed, to be entertained to be persuaded, to get lost in someone else’s world, to fulfill an assignement, to please a friend who told you about a novel, to become a better person.

 

Regardless of the reason, tell us two things:

1. Title of your Perfect Novel

2. Why you read it, what you got out of it and why you consider this the Perfect Novel.

 

 

We are our own experts when it comes to opinion. I will consider yours to be golden. 

Edublogs Rox my Sox

I like to quote 7th graders sometimes by using their lingo. They laugh at the thought of it; I relish in my youth.

That aside. I am thrilled to share with you Edubloggers out there about edublogs.tv. For those of you who have loaded your coveted videos to Youtube or TeacherTube and suddenly have dead links, blank boxes and sub-par-videoless posts, there is a solution.

After combing the forums in the last week, I came upon a solution via an email request.

 

Check out edublogs.tv. Upload away. Of course, it’s free! The great thing is that you can even upload directly from YouTube. So, if you have your heart set on avoiding links (so yesterday) and want the real deal, sign up!

I have already uploaded a “test” post/video via Edublogs.tv. Check me out :)

Happily reunited,

Laura

Remedial Academia is no Laughing Matter

I realize some of my anecdotes from my Summer School Sagas minimalize the value in remedial summer school, but my true feelings are closely tied to making such remedial opportunities real, applicable and supported.

In my years of teaching summer school and Saturday school, I’ve found each program to be quite ineffective in format. Essentially, our job as teachers of remedial sections is to provide a packet of materials that students presumable missed duirng the school year. In addition, our job is to provide a structured, quite space where students can get the one-on-one help necessary in order to “catch up” from the year previous. Anyone with a pulse and a backbone can do what I am paid to do. There are more discipline cases to deal with rather the cases who “just don’t get it.”

This brings me to the breakdown of summer school students:

Student A: Failed 4 or more semesters of core subjects, disengaged from classroom duties for reasons related to behavior (behaviors is a loose term which umbrellas over a. little home support b. little ambition c. little self-value d. immaturity)

Student B: Failed 4 or more semesters of core subjects, disengaged from classroom duties for reasons related to NOT GETTING IT.

Student B is the ideal customer for summer school. He is suited for this simply because he could benefit from one-on-one attention, quite space, and few other distractions outside of the ticking clock and snack break.

Student A is still slated for the same non-success once she puts in her 6 weeks and undoubtedly moves on to the next grade.

This is specific to my district, I know. Another specific to my district is that few students are held back in primary grades. Thus, when Student A or B gets to middle level, he or she may be given the disservice of not being retained when learning is far more critical (reading skills, math facts, problem solving). I am not convinced that ours is the only district with remedial programs that need remediating (more like reconstructing) themselves.

There are solutions out there that take time, $much money$, and staff who are just as dedicated to the cause during the summer as they are the other nine months of the year. Cost factor, someday, will have to take the backseat to propelling students when they need it. One district added “about $2,000 per child, in a district whose average general-education spending per pupil is about $13,000 — “; which is a testament to investing in students. I know that varying factors like taxbase, socio-economic make up of student population, and overall needs in a district are going to dictate remedial programs. The Gift of Time program at Hempstead Elementary in Spring Valley, N.Y is controlled and seemingly producing desirable results. It works for them. However, can a program like Gift of Time work for every school, every struggling student?

The correct answer is vague. The correct answer is not a one-size-fits-all. The correct answer meets the needs of both Student A and Student B while presenting a cost-effective, student centered remedial program that any district invests time, brainpower, and teacherpower into. Whew.

Conclusion not available here. Additionally, I am left with a few more questions.

*is there value in middle level students being held back?

*do middle level students deserve a second chance if they are Student A or Student B?

*when is the best time to run remedial programs?

*should core teachers be the remedial instructors?

*why are remedial programs that worked in the past, not working for students today?